


Coffee

by XeroKittyLives



Category: Shall We Date?: Obey Me!
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-08
Updated: 2020-10-08
Packaged: 2021-03-08 01:15:10
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,886
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26887210
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/XeroKittyLives/pseuds/XeroKittyLives
Summary: based off a text chat
Relationships: Belphegor (Shall We Date?: Obey Me!)/Original Female Character(s), Lucifer (Shall We Date?: Obey Me!)/Original Female Character(s)
Comments: 3
Kudos: 39





	Coffee

Aya woke slowly, fumbling in her bedsheets for her DDD and bringing it up close to her face so she could squint at the time. Five thirty? A little earlier than her alarm had been set for but not by too much. She swung her legs out from beneath the warmth of her blankets and sleepily walked herself toward her little bathroom, dragging her hand along the top of her bedside table-drawer for her glasses as she passed it by. The usual morning routine woke her up some, and she came back out of the bathroom half-humming a tune as she started brushing her hair.

She finished tying it up and put on her RAD uniform, and was downstairs just before the tall clock in the main hall began tolling six. Everyone else would be getting up pretty soon. And all of them would want breakfast (some moreso than others, of course). Grinning to herself, Aya scurried to the large kitchen. Satan was already there, bent at the waist as he frowned into the open refrigerator. At her entrance he stood up, closing the door practically.

"Is it bad?" she asked him, her head tilting toward the fridge.

Satan sighed. "Well, he didn't eat the eggs," he grimaced, the usual hint of sarcasm lacing his voice as he exasperated over his younger brother's ritualistic nightly habit of consumption. Aya covered her mouth to hide the almost-laugh that threatened to pop out at his expression.

"What have we got?" she cleared her throat, smiling encouragingly instead.

He turned back to the fridge and opened it up again, letting Aya peek around the door to join him in looking at its remaining contents. It wasn't as bad as Satan made it out to be, though. There was plenty of milk still, eggs (of course), cheese, some other Devildom ingredients that she wasn't too knowledgeable on how to cook with yet, a few sticks of butter, and half a bottle of orange juice. She tilted her head back a bit to look up into the taller demon's face, giving him another uplifting smile.

"Do we have syrup?" she asked him, knowing full well there was no actual way Beel would straight up drink a bottle of liquid sugar, or eat raw flour for that matter. Satan quickly picked up on what she meant to do with that specific jumble of ingredients and went over to the pantry on the opposite side of the kitchen to look inside. He reached in and not only produced a full, unopened bottle of dark amber syrup, but four complete boxes of premade pancake mix as well. Predictively, his sharp green eyes scanned each box and bottle, assessing the expiration date printed on each of them before nodding and bringing them back to the large worn wooden table at the center of the room. Aya grabbed the butter, eggs, and milk out of the fridge and brought them to him as Satan began opening up the packages, reaching up without looking to unhook a few of the rough iron pans hanging from the racks over his head. She went back to the cabinets against one wall and knelt to grab as many whisks and mixing bowls as she could carry back in her arms. She wondered to herself if Satan was going to be lazy this particular morning and use his magic to mix everything. He didn't like to do it often, because it would be 'a waste of [his] abundant magical talents'. But even with the amount of time Aya had already been down here in the Devildom, she loved to watch little spectacles like that. Even if the each of the brothers considered it mundane to use magic during their everyday tasks, any magic (even the magic that got them all into trouble from time to time) was still wondrous to her.

Her unspoken question was answered when the bowls and mixers all rose out of her arms, encircled by greenish tinged glow. Trying not to show her excitement at his decision, she turned back to the pantry and opened it up herself, looking for something to make while he did most of the work (in a manner of speaking). Perhaps she could chop fruit for the pancake topping? Or maybe make them all tea. She was getting quite good at it, thanks to Lucifer's extremely high standards.

"There are some coffee beans up near the top shelf," Satan mentioned toward her as he flicked his left hand lazily, not fully paying attention to all the automated egg-cracking, milk-pouring, and batter-mixing happening beside him. Aya even saw that he was already portioning up the strawberries and bananas she'd just been thinking about, and had even found fresh blueberries from somewhere too. "I think they're new," he continued offhandedly. "Maybe they're Lucifer's." He said that last bit passively but she knew exactly what he was going to come out with next. "..Maybe you could make us all coffee."

Of course he'd want her to use all the new--and most likely expensive--coffee beans the eldest demon brother had purchased for himself recently, and had specifically tucked away on the topmost shelf so his other meddling brothers wouldn't touch them. But Lucifer didn't scold Aya as often when she (accidentally or not) touched his things, certainly not as harshly. And so Satan often encouraged her to do exactly that. She tossed a little smirk over her shoulder at him, letting him know she saw right through his pretend disinterest.

"Maybe just one pot. I'll drink some and so will you, I'm sure. Lucifer will want a cup, and maybe Belphie too." The last face that popped into her thoughts made her bite down on a sudden large smile at the imagined expression on his sweet, sleepy face when she brought the sloth demon a nice hot cup of coffee straight to his bedside. She pushed down the dopey little lilt that threatened to come out in her voice with her next words: "The others can have juice."

"Fine," he sighed back, but Satan returned her smirk briefly to show that he appreciated her compromising on his proposed mischief.

The first one down to breakfast, usually before it was ready, was always either Beel or Lucifer. The breakfast duty cooks had begun to bet the after-breakfast cleanup chore on who it would be each morning before the sounds of footsteps and slamming doors and showers abated, and the brothers began to show up downstairs one by one. Satan won that particular morning's wager as Beelzebub bounded down the stairs and into the kitchen, taking them two or three at a time at the sound. His square, pleasant face shone with eager delight as he sniffed the air of the bustling kitchen.

"Pancakes?" he practically crowed with excitement and Aya giggled at his enthusiasm.

"They're almost done, Beel," Satan nodded toward him, flipping the last pancakes out of their skillets and levitating the now empty ones toward the sinks so they could soak while they ate. "Could you grab some plates and set the table?" Beel nodded and moved over to the cupboards above the countertops where Aya was quickly finishing up. If Beel was already down here, Lucifer would be sure to show up in just a couple of moments.

"Good morning, Aya," he greeted cheerfully, smiling down at her as he reached into the open shelves to grab the plates, carefully holding them so he wouldn't drop them onto her accidentally.

"Good morning, Beel!" she chirped back as she carefully drew the coffee pot off the burner with both hands and gently turned out four measured pours into four waiting mugs, laid out particularly on a small silver serving tray. "There's juice in the fridge still, and milk too."

"Lucky we had _something_ to make for breakfast," Satan jabbed pointedly, but Beel obliviously toted the large white plates out into the dining room to set the table as he'd been asked. Aya caught a glimpse of Lucifer passing by the kitchen doorway and hurriedly put down the empty pot so she could make the four indivdual cups as each of them liked:

Lucifer liked only two sugarcubes, no more and no less; Satan took his coffee pure black (much to Aya's distaste); Belphegor had his coffee with only just a little cream and one sugar, enough so that the coffee became a pleasant caramel color. Aya herself usually put enough cream and sugar in her coffee to thoroughly mask the bitterness and cool it so she could enjoy it faster. Aya picked up the first mug, a handsome black one with a gold rim, and handed it to Satan as he finished clearing up with a final gesture of one arm.

"I hope it tastes extra special this morning," she beamed up at him and offered a playful wink over their little shared poke at the oldest demon. Then she picked up her tray and went into the dining room to serve Lucifer his. Satan's pleased smile was slow immerging and more genuine as he watched her go, lifting the cup to his lips to take a drink. He choked on the mouthful he'd taken and drew back from the hot contents, his eyebrows notching up in surprise.

"This coffee is exceptionally bitter..." he murmured aloud and took a tentative sniff at the cup. It didn't smell hard; on the contrary, the coffee had an almost sweetly pleasant aroma wafting up from it. Had she burned the beans? He didn't think so, she was competent enough, and he would have smelled that kind of blunder beforehand, as she had been making it. They'd all made coffee with the same pot plenty of times before, so it wasn't that either. Hesitantly, confused, he continued to drink, telling himself it would be a waste of the extravagant blend not to.

What he really cared about, and what he would never admit aloud for that matter, was not wanting to harm her feelings. It was a pointless emotion, he knew, and it irked him, but it was true. He went over to the countertop where she'd prepared the coffee for the four of them, plucked two cubes of sugar from the little bowl she'd left there, plopped them in and sipped again. He scrunched his nose and made a quiet _'blech'_ sound, and forced himself to drink.

\---

Aya went to the head of the table where Lucifer was already seated, as regal looking as ever. He turned his gaze up at her approach and his expression flickered briefly to a softer gaze before returning to normal. Aya liked reading Lucifer's face, it often expressed more to her than he did verbally, his words always carefully chosen and though melodic, emotionally muted.

"Good morning, Aya," he said in his deep, pleasant voice. She loved listening to its resonant tone, and his greeting automatically triggered a bright smile from her as she approached. She carefully took his coffee mug off the small platter she held nestled in the crook of her right arm (this one was tall and cobalt blue and square-ish) and set it in front of him, becoming slightly timid under his direct stare.

"Good morning, Lucifer," she responded in a coy tone. "I found some fresh coffee beans in the pantry this morning, so I thought I would make some for us." She knew he wasn't moved by a sweetness or supplication, but she wasn't acting she was being genuine, and she hoped that he sensed so. She truly had made this coffee brimming with affection in her heart for each of them. He arched his elegant eyebrows at her just a fraction, breaking eye contact for one moment to look down at the steaming drink before him. His thin lips quirked briefly into the slightest smile before he regained his composure and drew his eyes back up to her, face as serious as usual.

"Those were mine," he stated, knowing full well she had already known that. Aya grinned at him sheepishly instead, waiting for him to act. He picked up the cup with his long gloved fingers, almost seeming to brace himself. She thought that odd but let it go. "Let's see how it tastes."

She watched eagerly as he drank the first sip and she thought she saw his eyes widen in some type of emotion for one moment. Aya began to worry over it till he set the mug back down and she could get a clear study of his face once more. Whatever emotion she thought she had seen while he drank wasn't there at all. She felt relieved, but worried regardless, and she nibbled on her bottom lip anxiously.

"Is it good...?" she finally blurted out, not being able to endure his silence any longer. Lucifer paused for another moment more and then nodded, licking his lips discreetly. The gesture washed away her sudden anxiety. So, it was good then! She was happy she hadn't ruined the beans or anything like that.

"Yes.. Thank you, Aya," he said in a voice that gave away nothing, but she still sensed something in the meaning beneath his words. Her anxiety came back again. He wasn't angry, so she assumed he felt she hadn't wasted his purchase. But he didn't praise her either, not that he had to, but with such a mediocre response she felt as if she had let him down. Aya forced herself to produce another smile (not nearly as bright and genuine as her first one to him) and went upstairs to go wake Belphie, hoping he'd offer her a more concrete reception to the coffee. She passed Asmo and Mammon on the stairs as they descended toward the dining hall, Asmo chattering Mammon's ear off about something.

Satan and Beel carried out the platters of pancakes, syrup, and toppings out from the kitchen, along with a decent amount of scrambled eggs Satan had also thought to make, just in case Beelzebub decided he wanted seconds (of course he would). Satan had a peculiar, thoughtful expression on his face. Lucifer watched them approach, hearing Mammon and Asmodeus coming down from upstairs. Leviathan, it seemed, did not want to eat today. Or he'd overslept after binging one of his shows or games. Lucifer drank his coffee slowly, pausing to reflect on each sip thoughtfully as he did. Slowly, unseen by everyone around him, a smug and satisfied smirk graced his lips hidden in the depths of his morning coffee.

\---

Aya knocked on the door to Belphegor and Beelzebub's shared room. When there was no immediate answer, she balanced the tray with the remaining two mugs on her hip and gently eased the twin's bedroom door open. On her way upstairs, Aya had tried her own coffee. She hadn't tasted anything weird in it, or different; it tasted like her normally sweet concoction. She even stole a teeny tiny sip from Belphegor's cup and her face had scrunched reflexively from the bitterness she had anticipated, but it was the normal amount of bitter--the way coffee with no sugar usually tasted, nothing more. Now, closing the door gently behind her, Aya made her way over to the right hand side of the room, draped in handsome, deep purples, different shades of blues, and golds, and placed the silver tray on Belphegor's bedside table. She primly tucked her skirts beneath her as she settled down on the edge of the big bed with the demon-shaped lump curled up in the center of it, swelling and ebbing as she faintly heard him snore from underneath. She smiled affectionately to herself before putting her hands on the lumpy pile and lightly shaking it.

"Belphie.. Belphegor," she cooed as she shook him, slowly so as not to jar him and have him awaken upset. "Time to wake up, sleepyhead."

He groaned irritably from under the thick, fluffy comforter and squirmed a bit beneath her hands. She felt him turning over in the blanket burrow and tried not to laugh at how exceptionally adorable she found him as he did this.

"Belphiee~ I brought you coffeee~" she sing-songed to him playfully, giving the lump another light shake. Belphegor groaned even louder from his sanctuary beneath the comforter and mumbled something to the affinity of 'go away'. Not to be deterred though, Aya reached across the shape of his form and gripped the edge of one of the blankets, gently stripping them away. His protesting noises raised in volume and one of his arms shot up, blindly seeking the missing shelter she'd deliberately taken from him. Aya leaned over and kissed his cheek, resisting the sudden and great urge to just sprawl across him instead and maybe nap until noon in that pleasant warmth he typically radiated at all times, especially from the middle of this huge, inviting bed as he was now. "Come on," she urged softly. "There's pancakes! Unless Beel's already eaten them all."

Belphegor finally rolled toward her, one hazily pink, sleepy eye peeking out at her from his unruly tangle of untamed bed hair.

"You said coffee," he pouted slightly.

Beaming, Aya straightened and picked up the large, dark green and purple mug from the dresser top and held it out for him patiently as he likewise sat up, pushing the heap of blankets down onto his lap. He took the cup from her hands with a mumbled "thanks", and she quickly reached for her own cooling mug (white with pink stripes), wanting to drink with him. But Belphegor jolted in mild surprise and she heard him choke on his first sip. She hastily thrust her coffee cup back down onto the tray and put her hands against his back instead, ready to clap him if he started to hack or gag. He just put the mug down as well and cleared his throat loudly, frowning at her.

"It's really bitter," he informed her.

"It is?" her voice came out more strained than she wanted it to, and she glanced over at the two remaining drinks again. "Mine tasted fine though, and Lucifer drank his..." Her brow knotted as she fretfully recalled Lucifer's slight reaction she thought she had initially just imagined. But had the coffee been horrid after all, and had he just been playing polite for her? Belphegor put out his hand for her own sweetened one and Aya hesitantly passed her cup to him. He sipped at it carefully but winced again, placing it back down on the tray with a loud clack. Aya's heart felt that sound, like a little porcelain knife that nipped into her chest.

"You don't taste that?" his frown deepened. Aya shook her head, despairing. She'd screwed up coffee, of all things. And the fact that she'd put so much painstaking care into the other three cups made the previous little heart jab all the more agonizing. 

"It's bitter too," he gave her a sideways glance before dragging himself out of bed and reluctantly shuffling toward his shared bathroom. Aya remained on the edge of his bed, pouting unhappily at her sudden mess of a morning. Her DDD went off loudly in her pocket, cutting her self-berating thoughts short. Aya dragged it out, flicking it open sulkily to read the alert: it was a new text chat from Lucifer.

_'The coffee you made was awfully bitter.'_

_"I know, I'm so sorry,"_ she texted him back, her grimace deepening. _"I didn't do anything differently though, I swear!"_

 _'Do not worry,'_ his response came back surprisingly quick, the sureness of it helping to ease her anxiety a little. _'It was not due to any error on your part.'_

 _"How can you be sure?"_ She asked back, beginning to hope that maybe the particular brand of coffee bean he'd purchased was too delicate of a blend and she hadn't realized it, or maybe even that the maker was suddenly on the blink. Lucifer took a bit more time in typing his answer, and Belphegor returned from his venture to the bathroom, hair tamed somewhat and his uniform on for the most part, save for the buttons on the front. He slowly worked on doing them up with his lethargy weighted fingers.

"Lucifer says it wasn't my fault!" she sounded relieved, moreso than she had initially intended but she _was_ relieved, overjoyed even. Belphie sat on the bed beside her and lightly nudged her shoulder with his own as the DDD chimed with the arrival of Lucifer's response.

"What happened then?" he asked her as she opened the message screen to read the other brother's explanation.

_'It was Hell Coffee. Hell coffee beans become bitter when you prepare it for someone that you're fond of. It's a special property of they have.'_

"Oh-" Aya let out a relieved breath. Then when she realized the implication of his answer she started to blush furiously. Belphegor's eyebrows lifted in amusement as he glanced down at her hands to read the text message himself. He tilted his head to one side, favoring Aya with an appraising look. 

"Fond of, hmm?" he teased, trying not to grin at her obvious embarrassment.

"W-Well, I mean-! Of course?" she shot up to her feet, shoving the DDD back into her uniform pocket and hurriedly snatching up the tray with the two unfinished coffees. She whirled on her heel and marched toward the bedroom door without sparing a look back. Belphegor chuckled quietly to himself and got up from the bed, bending to pick up his satchel and then crossing the room with deceptive speed before she had managed to yank open the door. He caught her upper arm gently with one hand, stopping her from continuing. Her face was dark red with embarrassment and her eyes avoided his gaze, even as he sought the shy flicker of them with his own.

"Of course I'm fond of you," her bashful words came out just above a whisper, and he felt the quiver of her naked shyness on her breath. She'd been so caught off guard that she was vulnerable now, and Belphegor knew he had to tread carefully. He brushed a few wayward strands of her hair back from one burning cheek and silently coaxed her to lift her head. When she finally did raise her eyes to his own, he kept their gazes locked together as reached around her, plucked up the ceramic mug with the overwhelmingly bitter coffee she had prepared specifically for him (with all her whole-hearted, awkward and yet endearing love), and brought it to his lips. He drank the lukewarm concoction right down to the dredges, never taking his eyes away from hers. Her own eyes were wide, round, and bright as she observed him, the flush in her cheeks slowly becoming more of a pleasant, satisfied rosy pink. Belphegor set the now empty cup back onto her tray and opened the door for her, his hand on the low of her back, nudging her gently outside.

"Come on," he urged, offering her his usual relaxed, sleepy smile as he closed his bedroom door shut behind them. "I want to try and get some pancakes before they're all gone. And maybe some milk too," he added lastly, as an afterthought.


End file.
